Waaaay too expensive for what they are. They're very good knives, but over priced and very expensive to sharpen when they lose their edge.
Someone gave a set to the church about 4 years ago....and they are impossibly dull now and it will cost a goodly amount of money to send them away to be sharpened. My favorite knife is (or was when it was sharp) that little short beak shaped paring knife.
Linda c

Here is a link that might be useful: knives on eBay

They are not very good knives. Just OK.

They have sold a lot by "independent sales representative" using high-pressure sales methods.

dcarch

I am 67 and have Cutco knives that were my mother's and my mother-in-law's and they are in great condition. The company says it will sharpen their knives for free if you ship them to the company. I have never needed to sharpen any. Also, I believe they will replace any broken knives. My mother purchased her knives prior to 1957--that's how old they are! They are not the only knives I own, but I do continue to use them. Any high quality knife is expensive, but I think you will find Cutco knives are really expensive to buy. Still, they last a lifetime. Google their website and read for yourself.
Nancy

Copied from the Cutco website, factory sharpening and repair:

Sharpening or Repair
There may be times your CUTCO needs factory sharpening or repairs.

The cost of sharpening is free, however there is a nominal return shipping/handling fee of: 1-3 items ($6.00) / 4 or more items ($9.00)

Exchange or Refund
If you are not satisfied with the purchase of your CUTCO, products may be exchanged or returned for a refund of your purchase price within 15 days of receipt of your order.

Nancy

I have some Cutco Knives and they are actually very decent knives. They are not expensive to sharpen, as the company will do it for free. Like most knives though they need to be sharpened on a regular basis.

I sharpen them my self The same as I do my Henkel and Wusthof knives.

Ann

Through the years, we have had friends' kids who decided to sell Cutco and, being the easy target that I am, I bought a piece or two. Just to be nice. They are very expensive for what you get...I'm sure lots of the money goes to other people besides the kids, and that's ok as I already knew the deal. However, I have had the same experience with sharpness issues...I'd just as soon toss these. I also know people that love Cutco, so maybe it's just me. The little paring knife is probably the easiest to justify and use, in my opinion...but this is only my experience! I'll keep my Henkels...and my cheapie OXO from Target!

I have the spreader and a long serrated bread knife. My sister bought these for me from our nephew, mostly to help him at the time, but I use these knives all the time, and they are definitely my "go to" knives. I already had a Chicago Cutlery bread knife, but I much prefer the Cutco bread knife. The spreader works better than the metal spatulas that I have, and it is handy to have one edge serrated for cutting. I didn't think I would use these when I first got them, and I probably would not buy them myself, but I am very happy to have them.

Lars

I bought them just to help out my niece but I really like them. I have the spreader, the scissors, ice cream scoop, bread knife and one other utility knife. They are very sharp and higher quality than I thought I'd be getting. My niece was able to finance much of her first year of college herself, even though she didn't need to. It is a VERY good way to help out students. They can make a lot of money if they work hard.

Through the years, we have had friends' kids who decided to sell Cutco and, being the easy target that I am, I bought a piece or two. Just to be nice. They are very expensive for what you get...I'm sure lots of the money goes to other people besides the kids, and that's ok as I already knew the deal. However, I have had the same experience with sharpness issues...I'd just as soon toss these. I also know people that love Cutco, so maybe it's just me. The little paring knife is probably the easiest to justify and use, in my opinion...but this is only my experience! I'll keep my Henkels...and my cheapie OXO from Target!

I often use the fat spreader serrated knife. It's one of my favorites for sandwich making and scooping out an avocado. I love it! I don't believe in sets of knives. I have a number of Messermeister which are excellent, but I also have a Gerber (meh!), Kershaw and a couple of very sharp Japanese knives that caught DH's fancy. We sharpen them at home, but once or twice a year give them to a professional to do on his machine. The problem is keeping the edge straight and when you do it yourself, it's very difficult.

Thanks, folks!

As Caliloo says, I guess I will find one item, to support the neighborhood kiddo! Even if it's not quite worth it, sometimes we need to be nice.

Thanks for the input!

I have the complete set purchased from a struggling college graduate friend. Highly expensive but I really don't use them much. They are guaranteed for life. I have a friend who has them, her only set, and she loves them. Her husband damaged one hanging on the wall and they replaced it no questions asked. I use Henckels the most and they also need to be sharpened now and then and I just take them to the butcher at the grocery store. I broke my favorite Henckel piece using it to lift out a cold piece of fudge from a pan, snapped it so easily and there was no guarantee on that. I wish I hadn't bought so many as later I felt obliged to buy a few more select pieces when my grandson was selling them. I think that's all he was able to sell, maybe his other grandma bought some. It's hard to sell but these days it's hard to find a job even for experienced people, so you do what you can.

I would love to have the kitchen shears if I was going to buy something.
It is a nice thing to do and I wouldn't worry about the value/cost ratio at all. Whatever you get will be good quality and I'm sure you will get good use out of it.
The supportive monetary gesture is a good value for both of you. You are being kind and generous and they need the money.

Before you consider helping young folks' college funds, you may want to do a little research first.

Cutco business practices have been called scams by many.

dcarch

It's a multi level marketing business but there's no "scam".
No more than other legitimate pyramid companies.

I wouldn't buy them even if they were cheap! My Mom had a set for as long as I can remember and I'm OLD...I hated having to use them. She was from the time when if you bought something, you used it until it broke so she used these all the time. She didn't like them a lot but was stuck with them. They are just OK. OTOH my SIL got some more Cutco knives for Christmas and was all excited and claimed they were the greatest knives EVER...little did she know that my Mom had a whole huge set of these dismal knives.

College kids selling expensive, over priced things who have to buy their own demonstration equipment have a hard time making a buck There are lots of things sold only "by our sales representatives" that fall into this category...Kirby vacuums that horribly expensive cookware, a certain costume jewelry to name a few.
The only time it's any sort of a good deal is if as a salesperson you want a "set" at half price...or less. You'll make more money waiting tables or being a life guard or caddying at a golf course for a summer than you will selling cutco knives.
I had a set of similarly priced and quality knives given as a wedding gift over 50 years ago. Given by a groomsman who was trying to make a few bucks in the summer....he sold only one set....and this was his demo set. I still have one of the knives left, and he soon learned other skills!
They are good knives....but not as good as the cost.

My niece started last summer and set a goal of selling $10,000 worth of knives in three months. When she hit it she was moved to a 50% commission rate. So now, she goes to college full time and sets a few appointments per week to sell knives and makes $1200 to $1500 a month, very good money for a full-time student. But she's worked very hard to get to that level. She has never uttered a bad word about the company that I know of. She seems very happy with them.

Posted by bumblebeez "It's a multi level marketing business but there's no "scam".
No more than other legitimate pyramid companies. "

I am not sure if they are a pyramid scheme or not. Pyramid is illegal, I believe.

Just Google "Cutco scam" and draw your own conclusions.

I am not sure yes or no. I am only sure I will never be a Cutco knife owner.

dcarch

I know for sure I could never sell anything that sucked as bad as Cutco knives!

I love mine! To each his own, I suppose.
Yep, bought the Chef's and paring from (future) SIL and fell in love with them.
Purchased an entire "salesman set" from a college kid who didn't want to sell anymore.

The kitchen shears are fantastic. I love the fact that they come completely apart for cleaning since I often use them on meat.

The handles of the knives just fit my hands perfectly so they work for me.

I regularly keep an eye out for them at garage sales, craigslist, etc. I would buy additional pieces IF the price is right.

That's my only issue with them. High priced and the "kids" selling don't get much of it. I would have been better off just handing a couple of hundred bucks to SIL directly.

YMMV
Deanna

I am so surprised at the negative responses. I am 76 years old; bought my cutco set of knives in 1955 or so and have used them for all of these years without complaint. Some years ago, a knife broke...free replacement. Just this year I FINALLY sent (at a distributor's urging) most of them back to the factory and they refurbished them and replaced one for $6.00 and shipping. I have always loved mine....no they do not go in the dishwasher, I am able to sharpen them myself and have never had a dull knife to struggle with. Yes, I probably paid a whole months salary in 1955 for them, and I have purchased "Other" knives to use in our motor home or camping and they cannot compare.Oh Well...to each is own, right. Nanny

I have the sales-demo set (from 1992, when I was first married and no, it was not a successful economic endeavor for me) and have definitely used them, but my favorite are the table knives. I did wear one out after about 15 years of heavy use. I really need to send it in, but I keep forgetting since I picked up some more on Craigslist a couple years ago. I think we just had the one for about 8 years, then we only had two for the next 8...

Posted by nanny98 "I am so surprised at the negative responses. ------"

Not surprising to me. The other food forums I visit, not too many good things said about Cutco either.

I feel sorry for kids who got into Cutco sales rep. They don't get to be invited to friends' parties, and they lose friends.

dcarch

"I feel sorry for kids who got into Cutco sales rep. They don't get to be invited to friends' parties, and they lose friends."

Do you also feel sorry for your lady friends who sell Mary Kay cosmetics?

Mary Kay is also Multi Level Marketing, the EXACT same thing as the Cutco business model.

MK says they're not MLM, but the devil is in the details, and the details say they are.

I'm sorry, dcarch, but that's just a patently ludicrous statement, that once a teen somehow turns to the darkside of selling Cutco they become a social pariah, doomed to wander the earth like a leper.

Here's how silly I think that statement is...

1. I sold Cutco for a summer. My friends didn't drop me like a hot rock.

2. I didn't try to sell Cutco to my friends. How stupid would that be, we were teenagers in college, they didn't have any money!

3. I sold Cutco to my friends' parents. THEY had the money.

4. My friends didn't give a damn what I sold to their parents.

5. What my friends DID give a damn about was that, because I was doing fairly well selling, I had money when we went out on the weekends and I could spot them when they didn't have money.

Look, everyone, you don't like Cutco or its sales practices, that's fine.

But don't start making up fantasy stuff to try to "prove" a position that's easily demonstrated to be complete and utter bunk.

What next? Kids who sell Cutco are 197% more likely to sacrifice small furry rodents to ancient evil gods?

Are their knives the best knives ever?

No.

Are they good knives?

Yes.

Are they expensive?

Oh yes.

Are they perfect for everyone?

No, not really. Some people have a problem with the shape of the handles.

Oh, and in case anyone is wondering, I didn't stick with Cutco because I don't like sales. I don't like trying to sell anything to anyone. It's not my personality.

But several of the people I knew who worked for Cutco at the same time did VERY well selling Cutco because they LIKED sales.

kframe19, I am sorry what I said offended you.

I do not want to turn this thread into a big contentious discussion. I will just summarize briefly:

I did not say Cutco makes bad knives.

You are probably a very respectable Cutco sales rep.

There are friends I have who engage in multi-level practices whom I avoid seeing.

There are plenty of information out there regarding Vector/Cutco business practices, as I said, draw your own conclusions.

Based on the information out there, I said I am not sure if yes or no.

dcarch

You didn't offend me at all, dcarch.

I just found some of the statements made about Cutco knives and the teenagers who sell them to be.... specious, at best. What you do, or do not do, doesn't translate to every other person on the planet.

As for what's on the web, I'm seeing:

1. A bunch of links asking IF the business model is a scam (it's not, it's a proven business model used by many businesses for over a century).

2. If the knives are any good.

3. A few people who apparently got into trying to sell Cutco, but not doing a very good job, and now angry at the company for their failure to either be realistic about what they needed to do or about their abilities to sell face to face.

Here's a good example of that:

Crud, the forum software isn't allowing me to put in the link because it's apparently been the host of spam attacks against the board. If you type in Cutco Scam into google, it's the 10th link.

The individual screams bloody murder about how Cutco/Vector is a scam. About a dozen paragraphs in he finally says that "Now, My opinion (along with many others) is that Vector Marketing is a SCAM."

Interesting.

Everything he is whinging about was explained to me and the rest of the people in my "class" (for lack of a better word) in very clear, very simple language when I started to work for them.

What I'm NOT seeing, however, are any indications that Vector's/Cutco's marketing/sales practices have ever been investigated or that they have been found liable, either criminally or civilly.

Why don't you type Mary Kay scam into google and see what you come up with?

WOW! but interesting.

I have about a dozen Cutco knives in my kitchen. All were found at garage sales or thrift stores for just a few dollars. For all of them. I find them to be fine knives. I would not advise paying full retail. I sharpen all my knives at home using belt sander and leather strop belt. Thus, I judge the the (serrated) "D" edge of some cutco knives to be an affectation, and useless. Sending steel knives back to the manufacturer for sharpening is crazy. Cutco knives take an edge readily and hold a convex edge well. Their edge taking and holding performance is superior to the cheap china import kitchen knives. The steel is not as hard as my Japanese knives. Cutco knives found at thrift sales are a good deal. At full retail from a company rep, well, if it makes you feel good, then go ahead. Definitely better quality and performance than most china import knives. My best advice for knives is to learn to shape, sharpen and maintain a durable convex edge. If my knives can't shave hair off my arm, they are not fit for service. It takes only a few minutes to bring my knives to this level of performance. Those that maintain this performance for a reasonable time are considered by me to be acceptable. In general, given my requirements, the Cutco knives in my kitchen work well.

I don't think many people will know about "convex edge".

I don't think many people will have a belt sander to achieve a convex edge.

I agree, keeping a knife sharp is nice.

dcarch

Kframe:
Did you have a Kframe to help you sell ???
LOL !!!

LOU

To respond to dcarch: You are quite correct. Most users of knives do not know about the various geometries of a sharp edge. With Cutco, one can always send one's knives back to the factory for sharpening, but what kind of creepy "I can't do it" kind of living is that? ;)

Since this is the age of the internet, learning about sharpening is only a click away. Lots of youtube videos on belt sander sharpening. Of all the sharpening modalities I have tried (including Japanese water stones costing big bucks) the belt sander/strop is easy, quick and cheap: I recommend this video (if links are permitted):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLjFjT4vYsM

Also, here is an explanation of the various edge geometries and their respective goods and bads:
http://zknives.com/knives/articles/knifeedgetypes.shtml

To be fair, not every house/kitchen has room for a belt sander. But before spending your hard earned cash on a "miracle" knife sharpening gizmo, and I have tried a bunch of them, consider a cheapo belt sander and the correct sanding and leather belt. Again, watch J. Neilson's vid on sharpening.

As I stated above, Cutco steel takes and keeps a very sharp edge. One can align the edge with a traditional knife "steel" if that is desired. Most knives from Japan are made of harder metal which takes more time to sharpen but holds the edge better, but use of a "steel" to refine the edge is not possible due to the greater hardness of the metal.

And then there are ceramic knives, which is a whole other can of worms......

We have very close connections with Spyderco (one of the top knife companies), so we do know how to sharpen our knives properly and can get our knives sharpened. But, I do still love my Cutco steak knives for table use. And as everyone else has said, if you can get them from Craigslist or someplace like that, they can be a great deal.

I have owned Cutco knives for over 20 years. They are guaranteed for life and the company will sharpen all knives and scissors for free. All you have to do is pay for the postage to and from Cutco. I own over 30 of their knives. If I send a knife to be sharpened and they see a defect from wear or neglect...they replace the knife for free without me asking. They are a lifetime investment. I too bought them from a college salesman. Well worth a lifetime investment.

Pat O'Neill

I bought my cutco knives over 20 years ago , I needed new knives and the young high school student needed to earn money for college, the knives are great, they are my go to knives and the young high school student is very successful and contributing to society

My SIL got pressured into buying Cutco knives when a friend was selling them, but she absolutely loves them, and I like them, too, although the plastic handles make the balance a bit odd at first. She's sent hers back several times for sharpening, always with good results.